Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Spitfire Scarf and Cowl pattern, which I previewed here back in November, is out at last! It took a little longer than I expected, but is a far better pattern for having the extra time in the lab. Shorthand is a necessary part of pattern writing, or every knitting pattern would resemble War and Peace, but some patterns are not as willing to be shorthand-ed as others...Spitfire turned out to be one of those. Luckily for me, I had a fantastic tech editor, and some excellent and patient test knitters to help me through the process. I'm so happy with the result.
Spitfire has options for both a scarf and a cowl, and was knit with tosh vintage. The scarf uses two skeins, the cowl, just one. This is the second in a series of motorcycle-inspired designs that will be appearing throughout 2013. It is also the design that inspired the Huntress Shawl (posted about that here last summer)and is constructed the same way.
Can anyone guess what part of the motorcycle inspired this one?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Much of my catalogue of designs has been inspired by the natural world, from forests to oceans. That will probably always be an important source of ideas for me, but about a year and a half ago I found a completely new focus for many of the designs I plan to release this year. Here at RocketBoy Mission Control, motorcycles are a BIG deal. My husband was riding on the back of a vintage BMW with his dad when he was in elementary school, and he has passed the love on to both of the RocketBoys as well. And then there are the uncle and aunt and various friends who ride...) There are always things to tinker with, other bikes to be ogled and rides to be schemed on, even when the weather is not conducive to riding. One of the benefits to moving from Maine to Seattle is definitely the longer riding season! For years, I had wanted to come up with some knitting ideas beyond an intarsia picture of a motorcycle, and they finally snuck up on me by surprise. In the end, it was the little details of the bikes right here in my very own garage that worked their way into my brain and have been emerging as patterns... The first of this is the pattern shown above, The Moto Cowl. The overlapping buttoned front panels with asymmetrical edge are inspired by the classic American black leather biker jacket, and give an extra layer of protection from the wind and cold. Excellent for walking in the park, or riding with the Wild Ones...